TITLE
Vote on a request to approve an application for the Partners for Green Growth Grant to establish metrics for and track progress towards Plan Chatham conservation goals.
ABSTRACT
Action Requested:
Vote on a request to approve an application for the Partners for Green Growth Grant to establish metrics for and track progress towards Plan Chatham conservation goals.
Introduction & Background:
Chatham County contains a vast array of natural resources, such as large tracts of upland forests, rare aquatic habitats, and diverse conserved landscapes. In 2017, the county sought to further protect these resources by incorporating conservation as an essential focus of our Comprehensive Plan through innovative and ambitious goals. Five years later, we are confronting the reality that while the government has utilized these goals as a guiding force for so many of our programs, we will need to establish clearly defined and consensus-based metrics in order to track our progress towards and fully implement these goals.
With the intent to improve the air, water, and land quality of Chatham, and a commitment to ensuring that equity is taken into consideration and prioritized with every step of this process, the Chatham County Planning Department is eager to apply for a Partners for Green Growth Grant from the NC Wildlife Resources Commission. Our proposal will seek to hire an experienced contractor to work alongside our government’s conservation leaders in developing a robust public framework for tracking our current progress towards conservation goals in the Comprehensive Plan and a subsequent implementation plan detailing exactly how we intend to achieve those goals.
Discussion & Analysis:
In March of 2023, the NC Wildlife Resource Commission requested project ideas and Planning Department staff submitted a proposal. In May of 2023, WRC staff recognized the proposal as a promising project and invited the Planning Department to submit an application, due on June 15th. Grants are awarded between $10,000 and $20,000, and require a 25% in-kind cost match. The Planning Department has included an allocation of $25,000 for the first year of this project in the FY24 budget, a portion of which could be used to cover the cost match.
How does this relate to the Comprehensive Plan:
This item is reflected in and based upon all conservation-related components of Plan Chatham.
Recommendation:
Vote to approve the request to apply for the Partners for Green Growth Grant.